Slade’s stranglehold on the upper reaches of the singles chart was just beginning to slacken when this movie first appeared in 1975, but it was still an audacious move by a bunch of household names to lift the lid on the seedier aspects of the music business. The fictional Flame’s heady ride to the top and back down again was a much shorter journey than Slade’s own, but countless groups undoubtedly saw something of themselves in the tale of musicians used and abused by the industry.
It’s comical in places, but the undercurrent of violence gives the movie a darker edge more in keeping with gritty small screen work of directors Ken Loach or Alan Clarke. Punctuated by some of Slade’s best songs, most written specifically to drive the plot, what surprises most is their acting ability. Noddy Holder and Jim Lea in particular are extraordinarily naturalistic for musos with no formal training, and it’s their convincing turns that help root this in reality.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with the likes of Expresso Bongo or A Hard Day’s Night, but rarely has a music movie come so close to the unflinching truth as this, which seems to grow in stature as the years pass.
